Want to know one definite hindrance to success? According to comedian and entertainment mogul Kevin Hart, it could be one simple three-letter word–“ego.”
In a recent interview for The Pivot Podcast in a segment titled “Kevin Hart on Sacrifice, Success & Never Allowing Mistakes to Overshadow Purpose,” Hart pointed to ego as keeping many — especially in the Black community — from achieving financial success. He said Black America Has a “warped view” about what it takes to make it to the top.
“Our culture f**s it up more than anybody else, very self-destructive,” he said. “When we get to the places where that financial revenue changes” people start comparing salaries “and that’s, that’s a problem.”
Instead, Hart said Black people should be working together more and ‘hold each other accountable; we take care of our own but more importantly we grow the data we get into the space of competitiveness.” In order to do so, Hart says people can’t operate on “ego.”
Hart seems to be proof his theory is working. He said once he started to be open and honest about who he was — his struggles personally and career-wise — opportunities started to flow And those opportunities have been nonstop. In recent times, there hasn’t been a day when you don’t see Hart on TV, in a film or in an ad.
Don’t be self-involved
“My hobby is ownership now. My hobby is realizing the rooms that I’ve been able to get into the hands that I shake…around I don’t take that for granted,” he noted. “You are supposed to make more of those moments that’s what we don’t do enough of. Our culture is caught up in the cool.. what we don’t realize the reason why the other side has worked so long and why they’re so successful is because they figure out how to hold on to the handshake.”
He continued stressing connections are key to success. Such has his recent iconic co-headlining five-show standup tour with Chris Rock, with opened to sold-out shows. And his co-staring with The Rock in their newest animated film “DC League of Super-Pets.”
“We minimize the opportunity to grow and be around and be a part because we’re so self so self-involved,” he said of the Black community and the “I got mine” mentality,” instead of sharing he spotlight in order to evolve to another level.
“Me and Dwayne Johnson are good friends you know why our s**t works? DJ I don’t give a f**k about titles I don’t give a f**k about number one or number two. DJ and I don’t care.” What was important, Hart said, was his relationship with Johnson and being able to collaborate. The two starred in 2019’s”Jumanji: The Next Level.”
This time around, Johnson’s A Seven Bucks Production produced “DC League of Super-Pets” and tapped Hart. It all started with a casual conversation with Johnson saying he had the project coming up. A similar conversation led to the short-run tour with Rock.
It all worked, Hart said, “because there are no egos. These collabs work because there are no egos. We aren’t competing.”
He added, “People don’t understand that there’s so much room for us all, but there’s this warped view that there can only be one,” he said. “That’s the beautiful thing about me and Chis on the same stage.”
Reaching out to bring others up
“I’m not chasing a bigger spotlight. I’m chasing what’s the thing that I can build that will last and that other people can come through,” he pointed out. “”How many people can I employ…how many people can I take out o the hood…I want to change lives.”
Hart has continued to expand his ventures in and out of the entertainment world.
He recently merged his two companies, Hartbeat Productions and Laugh Out Loud. They will become a single comedy-centered entity called Hartbeat.
Hart also announced a $100 million investment by private equity firm Abry Partners. NBCUniversal’s Peacock, which signed a multi-year, first-look deal with Laugh Out Loud and acquired an equity stake in 2020, will stay on as a shareholder. Abry partner Nicolas Massard will join the Hartbeat board, Deadline reported.
Hart, who likes to spread around his wealth, also has plans to open a restaurant: Hart House.
He and billionaire Mark Cuban invested six-figures into the Transformation Factory, a Black- owned and -operated business that sells edible sea moss gel.
“I’m busting my ass for the benefits of others,” he told the podcast. “I’m trying to create and change something so that other people coming after can go oh f**k, we can either do that same thing or we can go past.”
